A powerful call for justice and recognition is growing in Malindi after widows from across the constituency united under one umbrella body to demand constitutional protection. Led by community leader Elizabeth Muthoka, widely known as Mama Dadu, the widows say they have suffered in silence for too long and it is time for the government to act.
According to Mama Dadu, it has now been two years since widows across all wards in Malindi came together t
o form groups, registered with Social Services, and eventually formed their countywide network known as Fanikisha Widows Initiative.
She explained that the widows united because the government of Kenya has not recognized widows under the Constitution, leaving them vulnerable and without protection.
“We came together so that we can speak with one voice,” she said.
The Fanikisha Widows Initiative operates under three key pillars:
1. Social empowerment – helping widows interact, bond, and support each other.
2. Economic empowerment – encouraging widows to contribute and uplift one another, allowing many to start small businesses to sustain their families.
3. Political empowerment – pushing for women MPs to draft and table laws that will constitutionally protect widows, just as the government protects the elderly and persons with disabilities.
Mama Dadu acknowledged that Malindi MP Laura Mnyazi has already supported their economic pillar by donating tents and chairs to help widows run income-generating activities.
She added that widows are not a uniform group. Some are young women aged 19, 20, and 24, who still have long lives ahead and need support. Others are elderly women who face cultural oppression, property grabbing, and isolation from their communities—especially those who never had children and are abandoned by families.
Mama Dadu appealed to all women legislators to take action:
“We want MPs to draft and table a bill that will protect us as widows. We need constitutional recognition.”
Supporting her remarks, Esther Halua Sulubu from Kijiwetanga said widows go through many painful challenges, including discrimination and loss of property after the death of their husbands.
“Many of us were left with young children who need food, clothing, education, and shelter. We cannot manage alone,” she said.
She urged the government to protect widows and empower them economically so they can raise their children with dignity.
The widows say their movement will continue until Parliament gives them the legal recognition and protection they deserve